Mongolia’s Altai Eagle Festival
Luxury Group Travel | 14 Days | Limited to 12 Guests
- Be one of the few Westerners to travel to Mongolia’s Altai Eagle Festival
- Stay in a private ger camp nearby the festival site
- Marvel at the Gobi Desert’s Flaming Cliffs and Singing Sands
- Accompany Kazakh hunters and their birds on a traditional hunt
- Visit with nomadic families and learn about their way of life
Smaller but just as thrilling as the better-known Golden Eagle Festival, the Altai Eagle Festival celebrates the Kazakh tradition of hunting with trained eagles. We get a front-row seat to the action at this intimate affair, staying at a private ger camp near the festivities. We also accompany Kazakh friends on hunts with their eagles, spend time in Ulaanbaatar (visiting its resurgent Buddhist temples and proud museums), and venture into the Gobi, where we meet nomads and soak up the desert’s ethereal landscapes.
Trip Overview
Maybe even more special than the festival was the dinner we had in the nomad encampment with the eagle hunter family and all the crew that took care of us. Mongolians love to sing and they have wonderful voices.
– CONNIE D.
1 – 2
Arriving in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital, we explore its fascinating mix of religions and cultures See Gobi dinosaur skeletons and hear traditional khoomei (“throat singing”).
3 – 6
We fly into the Gobi Desert to ride camels in the spectacular Khongoriin Els dunes (the "singing sands"), view Bronze Age petroglyphs, and meet a nomadic family The Yol Valley welcomes us to behold its dramatic scenery and watch for the lammergeyer, a huge bearded vulture.
7 – 8
After stopping over in Ulaanbaatar, we jet to Olgii, set in the heart of Central Asia’s majestic Altai Mountains Our visit with an eagle hunter's family and nights in a private ger camp deepen our experience of western Mongolia.
9 – 11
At the off-the-radar Altai Eagle Festival, we're some of the few foreigners to watch the exciting Kazakh competitions and games A group of eagle hunters invites us into the countryside in search of prey.
12 – 14
Depending on flight schedules, we discover more of the western Olgii along the lovely Khovd River or spend a day soaking up the landscapes of Khustain Nuruu National Park (home to the Asian wild horse) Return to Ulaanbaatar and depart for home.
Dates & Prices
Dates
09/12/24 – 09/25/24
Pricing
Group Trip: From $11,450 per person
based on double occupancy
Inclusions
- Expertise of GeoEx’s travel specialists
- Services of GeoEx’s in-house air reservations team
- All accommodations
- Some gratuities
- All ground transportation and airport transfers
- Sightseeing, events, visits, and entrance fees
- Most meals
- Bottled or filtered water at included meals and while sightseeing
- Services of a GeoEx trip leader, local guides, drivers, and other staff
- Emergency evacuation services and secondary medical expense insurance
A Journey Built Just For You
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